News / Local
Magwegwe councillor, MP fight over donation
04 Jan 2011 at 00:36hrs | Views
A DISPUTE has erupted between Councillor Monica Lubimbi of Ward 29 in Bulawayo and House of Assembly Member for Magwegwe, Mr Felix Magalela Mafa Sibanda, over a donation to under-privileged people in the constituency by a supermarket chain.
Clr Lubimbi is accusing Mr Sibanda of interfering in her programmes and said the latest was when the legislator brought people from outside her ward during a donation of food hampers by Mr Raj Modi of Bellevue Spar. The foodstuffs were worth US$3 000.
Mr Modi runs a supermarket in ward 29, trading as Mountain View Spar Supermarket in Lobengula West where the handover ceremony was held on New Year's Eve as a way of ploughing back to the community.
A total of 70 families benefited.
Clr Lubimbi said only people from Lobengula West should have benefited from the donation because the supermarket was situated in their area.
Clr Lubimbi accused Mr Sibanda of bringing people from Ward 18 (New and Old Magwegwe), which also falls under Magwegwe constituency.
"The MP brought people from ward 18 and only allowed me to submit two from ward 29. He only allowed me to submit the two after people had pressured him to consider me in the selection of the beneficiaries," said Clr Lubimbi.
"I told him what he was doing was wrong and that he was supposed to consult me as a community leader to identify the beneficiaries rather than doing it himself".
"The MP, Mr Sibanda should let councillors do their work. I am a community leader and my duty is to identify the less privileged and help them. As it is, I have a list of widows, orphans and the old in the ward who did not benefit from that donation when it was an opportunity to help them. They are the ones who are buying from that supermarket."
Repeated efforts to get a comment from Mr Sibanda were fruitless, as he could not be reached on his mobile phone. A person who identified herself as his wife answered his phone and said he was away in Botswana and did not have his contacts in Botswana.
She said Mr Sibanda would return home on Friday. Contacted for comment, the manager of Bellevue Spar Mr Stanford Mazura said it was difficult for them to say who should benefit.
"If somebody says these are the people, it is difficult for us to say who should benefit and who should not.
However, our donation was meant to benefit the less-privileged people from the community where we do our business," said Mr Mazura.
Clr Lubimbi is accusing Mr Sibanda of interfering in her programmes and said the latest was when the legislator brought people from outside her ward during a donation of food hampers by Mr Raj Modi of Bellevue Spar. The foodstuffs were worth US$3 000.
Mr Modi runs a supermarket in ward 29, trading as Mountain View Spar Supermarket in Lobengula West where the handover ceremony was held on New Year's Eve as a way of ploughing back to the community.
A total of 70 families benefited.
Clr Lubimbi said only people from Lobengula West should have benefited from the donation because the supermarket was situated in their area.
Clr Lubimbi accused Mr Sibanda of bringing people from Ward 18 (New and Old Magwegwe), which also falls under Magwegwe constituency.
"I told him what he was doing was wrong and that he was supposed to consult me as a community leader to identify the beneficiaries rather than doing it himself".
"The MP, Mr Sibanda should let councillors do their work. I am a community leader and my duty is to identify the less privileged and help them. As it is, I have a list of widows, orphans and the old in the ward who did not benefit from that donation when it was an opportunity to help them. They are the ones who are buying from that supermarket."
Repeated efforts to get a comment from Mr Sibanda were fruitless, as he could not be reached on his mobile phone. A person who identified herself as his wife answered his phone and said he was away in Botswana and did not have his contacts in Botswana.
She said Mr Sibanda would return home on Friday. Contacted for comment, the manager of Bellevue Spar Mr Stanford Mazura said it was difficult for them to say who should benefit.
"If somebody says these are the people, it is difficult for us to say who should benefit and who should not.
However, our donation was meant to benefit the less-privileged people from the community where we do our business," said Mr Mazura.
Source - Byo24